China Leads U.S. in Clean Energy

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WASHINGTON – China's huge push for clean energy technologies has
left the U.S. scrambling to catch up, but homegrown energy
innovations could help the U.S. boost its own economic and
national security.

The energy challenge for the U.S. was detailed during a series of
speeches at the
ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit here today (March 1). China
has aimed to get 18 percent of its energy from renewable sources
such as solar and wind by 2020, and has broken ground on 25
nuclear reactors out of more than 60 new nuclear power plants
worldwide.

But the U.S. has not been idle. President Barack Obama urged the
country toward its goal of getting 80 percent of its electricity
from so-called clean energy sources, including renewables,
nuclear energy and perhaps clean coal. The U.S. currently gets 40
percent of its energy from such sources, said Steven Chu, U.S.
Secretary of Energy, during his speech at the summit.

"Our national security is dependent on our energy security," Chu
said. "Energy created at home is wealth creation at home."

Besides clean energy, Chu highlighted China's lead in building
5,612 miles of high-speed rail where trains travel over 100 mph,
compared with Japan's 1,500 miles and France's 1,100 miles. By
contrast, the U.S. is struggling to build its first dedicated
high-speed rail corridors. [ Throttle
is Barely Open for High-Speed Rail in U.S. ]

The U.S. does still hold an overwhelming worldwide lead in terms
of
private investment in clean energy by venture capital firms.
But entrepreneurs and private investors have urged more U.S.
government involvement.

China's government has invested $800 billion in clean energy
technologies alone. That rivals the size of the recent U.S.
economic stimulus package, said Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), during
his ARPA-E summit speech.

But Udall praised the efforts of ARPA-E, the agency spinoff from
the U.S. Department of Energy which funds huge energy
innovations. He pointed out how six projects that received just
$24 million from ARPA-E led to more than $100 million in private
investment – a great payoff for taxpayer dollars.

"You're a model of efficiency," Udall told the ARPA-E employees
in the audience. "That's government at its best."

The ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy) summit runs
through March 2.